24 Hour Karate School you might remember, is the name of a track I posted a few weeks back that Mos Def did with Ski-Beatz. Well not only was it the name of a dope song but it’s apparently the name of a dope album. Ski-Beatz, along with Blakroc conceiver, Dame Dash are putting out a project featuring not only Pretty Flaco but Jay Electronica, Curren$y, Nikki Wray, Jim Jones and plenty more. It’s kinda like another Blakroc, but instead of the Black Keys it’s Ski-Beatz. I’m cool with that. Here’s the trailer for the upcoming record from the Luchini Maestro.

BABU & DILLA

The world famous Dilated Junkie, DJ Babu makes a rare appearance on the blogs and tips his hat to the late greatest. Featuring cameos from House Shoes, Alchemist and more, it’s a feel good type of thing.

POP LIFE & RACE MATTERS

It’s the IllDoc, J Smooth. Need I say more?

ME AND THIS JAWN

And since I missed it, a special lovers day offering from the Paid Dues President, an eighth of the Living Legends Crew and half of Felt,Murs.

With only one day left until the Canadian Government stops matching private donations in the Haiti Earthquake Relief Effort, I ask you, loyal HHHT readers and lovers to please head on over to the PPF Neighborhood and donate now. This project, in conjunction with MSF (a.k.a. Doctors without Borders) and support from the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) is a 14-track album featuring artists from around the world playing everything from Underground Hip-Hop to Latin Jazz, Ambient Electronica to Folk. Accompanying the audio is also a 13-page PDF booklet featuring art from award winning painters, illustrators, animators and designers.

As a follow-up to their hugely entertaining 10-pages ofJay-Z disses, Complex Mag, also responsible for those awesome soundboards as well as getting Keri Hilson to take those wonderful pics brings you 7 pages of emcees dissing Jay-Z back. Everyone from Nas to Prodigy, Fat Joe to Jim Jones, it’s allll there. Click the image below for the whole shebangabang.

*BONUS*

And finally, as an added bonus, a treat from one of the illest to ever do it.

Yes, the past 8 months here in Toronto have been phenomenal both personally and professionally (’09 has been the SHEEEEEIIIIT!) but, it’s starting to get cold and I’ve quickly realized that I’m not built like that anymore. Plus, I miss the shit outta my Taiwanese counterparts. So, I’m gettin my hibernation on and goin to the island to throw parties with the best of the best and enjoy life.

However, as those of you who’ve flown overseas before know, I’m gonna be on a plane for like 2 months rendering this blog inactive for a little bit. So today’s post is gonna be completely loaded with goodies to tide you over until I get back to some land.

So without further ado…

THE PROFESSIONAL

If there was ever someone you called a ‘professional emcee’, Black Thought should be the first person you think of. At very least second.

Well, this unreleased goodie aptly titled ‘The Professional’ has just surfacedand it proves my point 300 times over.

I don’t know what it is, but there are few, if any, albums that ever beat out Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 2on my playlist. I still listen to that ish like it dropped last Tuesday, and I don’t foresee any slowing up. Sure my favorite reincarnation of them is still the original trio, but Elzhi‘s contribution to the group should never be downplayed. He’s an absolute monster. Anyway, since today’s blog is LONG, I’ma keep this short (as possible). With one of Baatin’s last recordings before he passed, off the upcoming Villa Manifesto, I give you…

So I’m not sure if you’ve heard or not but HHHT faves Mos Def, Jay Electronica and current Hip-Hop blog darling, Curren$y(pictured below) have formed a new group called Center Edge Territoryand have apparently already finished 6 songs?

Yeah. Didn’t see that one coming, especially since Curren$y used to roll with Lil Weezy and that match up just seems odd to me. However, homie can rap, so as long as there’s that, I’m cool. Anyway, although nothing has leaked yet, here goes a little something from each member of this new underground powerhouse.

Jay Electronica, along with Ta’raach jump on this intergalactic dopeness from another HHHT favorite Sa-Ra Creative Partners.

Scarub, Luckyiam, Sunspot Jonz, Eligh, Bicasso, Aesop, Murs & The Grouch, or better known as West Coast’s current underground torchbearers, The Living Legends are the definition of paid dues. Having completely built themselves up independently from scratch, there are few hip-hop artists who can rival what they’ve done in the underground and truthfully, there are few hip-hop artists, underground or mainstream that can generate the revenue they do because of the work they’ve put in and the independent route they’ve taken. Now, at approximately a gazillion total releases, one of the Legends standouts, the Grouch returns with his latest effort ‘Eyes off the time’ and so far it sounds extra ill. Check the promo vid and DL below:

If you’ve been following the updates at all, then chances are you’ve been following the webisodes from the amazing BlakRoc project that’s due out in a matter of weeks. And on a day where I have less than 15 minutes to get a new piece up, how bout I get you caught up on all the videos and we call it even. Deal? Word up.

#5 Feat. NIKKI WRAY & JIM JONES

#6 Feat. NOE

#7 Feat. Q-TIP! (Q-Tip can knock you out too?!?)

#8 Feat. BILLY DANZE (FFFIIIIIREEEE!)

And I guess this wouldn’t be a true HHHT post without at least one treat. A new unreleased track from a man who supposedly will also be featured on the BlakRoc album, there’ll never be another like him….

It’s been a long time coming and something that I, as well as many many others have waited years for. We got singles. We got demos. We got guestspots. And thankfully we got Big Black Lincoln. But now, after what seemed to be an endless strings of delays and setbacks, word is Saukrates is on his way back with Season One, and it’s coming soon! Here comes the first street single off the record featuring Andreena Mill.

With the 4th quarter upon us and several projects from tons of amazing people still awaiting release, HHHT gets into a few in particular that we’re eye-spyin’ for.

TIL THE CASKET DROPS

Oh Clipse, this one better be good.

I’ve said this before on this blog, but I’ll reiterate one more time. I’m a huge Clipse fan. Really and truly I am. Like, I’ve gone on record as saying that as far as Street lyricists are concerned, they’re the closest thing we’ve had to Wu-Tang in a long long time. HOWEVER, that last Re-Up gang record was not only unfocused in terms of production and direction, but lyrically they were barely punching their way out of that proverbial wet paper bag (see ‘Fast Life’ produced by Scott Storch). And to that end…I’m scared. Nonetheless, I’ve heard 3 cuts off the album thus far and have been relatively content. Perhaps because they’ve all been Neptunes beats and that’s, at the end of the day, what I think the Clipse should sound like. Also, Mr. ‘Bison in his studio’, the legendary Rick Rubin is overseeing this album so I can only hope that means any loose ends the Star Trak boys miss, Rick’s holdin down. Anyway, here’s a new cut featuring Pharrell and the former Dipset General, Cam’ron, whaddya think?

Jack Davey & Brook D’Leau, better known as J*Davey have been a favorite group of mine ever since I saw them perform at this little spot in Toronto some years back.

A clash of about a half dozen genres in one, they were just starting to get their buzz in the scene when the Roots, who obviously felt they were of a particular quality decided to bring them on the Beginner’s Guide… tour. Unfortunately for them, when they reached Toronto, the type of music they did matched with the venue they were performing at and the audience that was in attendance made for a vinegar/oil type of situation as these 2 were completely drowned out with Boo’s for damn near the entirety of their set. However, unlike most acts that would’ve packed it up mid-way through the shit storm, they persevered through and finished the set graciously. Score 1 for J*Davey. Then, a smart move on their part, they booked a show the next night here in a much smaller club and they absolutely demolished. They then went on to feature on the Roots next record Game Theory (which is in IMO their best record to date), the late great J Dilla’s Dilla Loves Japan EP, and release 2 EP’s to critical acclaim. Now, after being picked up by Warner, their preparing to drop their first full length (apparently) soon. In the meantime, here’s some new ish.

I’m not gonna say ANYTHING about this. Just watch the video below and digest it yourself cause I’m still convulsing.

I’ll be posting webisodes from the recording sessions on a regular from now on in. GET FAMILIAR!

**Bonus**

This is kinda old news but for those who don’t know…Allhiphop.com and Jumpoff.TV have been doing a series called ’48 Hours’ where they follow major artists on the first 2 days of releasing a brand new album. Thus far, the people they’ve picked have been interesting and the series has been relatively entertaining. For your viewing pleasure, I thought I’d start posting these up and give you a behind the scenes look at some serious players hard at work.

As album sales increasingly decline, it seems that official CD releases are following the trend as the next few weeks look barren at best. All the while, online mixtape downloads seem to be doubling and tripling. So, as not to combat the grain of the market, I give you a bunch of new DL’s for your listening pleasure.

First up, Jim Jones.

The Dipset Capo definitely knows how to market himself. Every time he drops a ‘Ballin‘ or a ‘Pop Champagne’, he has the good sense to jump on a Ghostface or Kid Cudi joint and actually hold his own (yes…I said it). And well, I still can’t tell you why I like him, or why anyone does….perhaps it’s one of those ‘Je ne sais quoi’s (or what Jim lovingly refers to as his[the most overused word in the world right now]swagger) or maybe it’s just time for Pigpen to succeed. Anyways…here he is once more, this time with Hip-Hop’s Zach Morris, Asher Roth doing a remix of ‘I Love College’.

Haha…I still have NO idea how or why DJ Paul and Juicy J were in Taipei on NYE, but I heard they scared the bejeezus out of the crowd and rocked them pretty senseless. So, hopefully that means more Three6Mafia in the clubs and less Flo Rida. YAAAAY!!!!

This time Blacksmith CEO, Talib Kweli, long time collaborator, Res, and Toronto indie darling, Graph Nobel have combined to create Idle Worship. No word as to whether there will be an album or if this is just for fun, but here they are debuting over Busta’s ‘How we do it over here’ beat by Dr. Dre.

Finally, if you’re like me, you were bombarded by Loud.com on your myspace and facebook a few months back talking about a competition to be the next Loud signee.

Well, aside from my general reservations of online contests, I also figured there’d be no way I could be among the finalists strictly based on my lack of gangsterific content. Well, I was wrong….they picked dope lyricists….only problem is that you had to be a semi-celebrity FIRST, to even be considered a finalist (or so it would seem).

Loud has released their contest mixtape featuring the likes of:

Jake One : Underground uber producer. Has worked with everyone from Posdnuous to 50 Cent and had one of the best hip-hop albums of ’08.

Brother Ali : Atmosphere labelmate and underground champion

Eyedea : Another underground darling, although I think his DJ, DJ Abilities, outshines him like a sun to a candle.

Royce Da 5’9″: You already know about him.

So yeah….check it out…it’s still a good collection of artists, just lacking in the contest department.